1955 Ford F-100 - 300 Days To Cobo

It takes a special combination of perseverance and originality to take on a build destined to pursue the coveted Don Ridler Memorial Award at the Detroit Autorama. The award, exclusive to the first public showing of an entry in order to qualify as a contender, is known worldwide in the custom car world, and honors those who have infused exceptional creativity, engineering, and workmanship into a vehicle.

For Steve Bloom of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, the experience was one paved over a 300-day time frame from start to finish, which in itself was an incredible undertaking. With a passion for anything automotive first evolving back when he was 16 years old growing up in Toronto, Steve started working at a local gas station on customer cars as well as honing his mechanical skills while attending high school. Throughout this time he also spent plenty of moments frequenting local dragstrips as well as Sunset Speedway in Toronto watching hopped-up cars tear it up on the track while the intoxicating smell of race fuel and burnt rubber added to the experience.

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As the years passed, his involvement in the hobby continued to blossom with the restoration of a number of vintage Corvettes as well as owning a number of European exotics. In the last decade, Steve’s tastes shifted and focused primarily on vintage Fords, with a number of award-winning builds under his belt including a quartet of unforgettable hot rods ranging in years from 1932 to 1934.

Steve told us that the challenge for him is in the design and creation of each unique ride he focuses on. Having always been a fan of classic pickup trucks, it wasn’t long before he and his lovely wife Michele set their sights on a suitable donor to begin the next project at their shop known as Great North Hot Rods in Toronto. After exhausting his search locally for a mid-’50s-era Ford hauler, since it was nearly impossible to find a clean rust-free base, he shifted his focus to the Internet.

After closely watching eBay, it was only a matter of time before a suitable ’55 Ford appeared, being offered by a private owner in Florida. The two words that will always echo in the back of Steve’s mind are “buyer beware.” What was presented to him as a reasonably sound, rust-free project roller with a newer front clip in excellent condition turned out to be far from the truth once the deal was made.

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Upon delivery, what rolled off the trailer made Steve’s heart sink, however, he was unfazed by the deception of the seller and persevered to find what was salvageable. After a thorough evaluation at his shop it was determined that the only workable portion of the truck would be its stripped-out cab. After everything was dismantled, he, Michele, and good friend Tony DeLuca started to formulate their game plan.

It was at this time Steve dug his heels in and decided to take on the build in the previously noted 300 days to prepare the truck to compete for the Ridler. In his mind, he envisioned a dramatic yet subtle hauler that would look equally at home slammed to the ground in a display as it would cruising the local boulevard. To get the project started he placed a call to Total Cost Involved Engineering to fabricate a custom one-off chassis that would allow the truck to be hammered to the pavement with its running boards literally on the ground.

The spine was constructed from 2x8-inch rectangular steel stock and treated to a number of custom touches including a 6-inch rear kick and C-notch, heavy-duty crossmembers, a lowered front suspension and engine mounting, as well as shaved front framehorns. Out back a smoothed and detailed Currie 9-inch rear filled with 3.70 cogs and 31-spline axles is suspended in place by a combination of a polished stainless four-link with matching Panhard and antiroll bars, while a pair of RideTech Shockwaves tame the bumps.

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To let the truck handle like a slot car, a Total Cost Involved Engineering IFS, featuring polished stainless upper and lower control arms, chrome drop spindles, and a polished antiroll bar does the trick, while RideTech ShockWaves keep everything nice and firm. To navigate through the curves a power rack-and-pinion gets the job done. It’s one thing to go fast, but when stopping is a must, fluid gets pushed through a Corvette dual master to stainless lines where polished Wilwood four-piston calipers clamp down on 12-inch slotted and drilled Wilwood rotors anchored at each corner. Planting everything to the pavement, a set of Billet Specialties 20-inch SLG45 wheels add plenty of allure especially when capped with low-profile Nitto Invo-series tires.

With the chassis completed it was time to focus on the thunder. All too many times Steve found Chevy power between the rails of countless classic Fords and he was determined to keep his F-100 all Ford. A meeting with well-known drag racer and engine builder Tony Pontieri of Pontieri’s Hot Rod Garage in Bolton, Ontario, proved that an evil, stroked small-block would generate plenty of horsepower. Pontieri machined a 1994 Ford 302ci block to perfection and worked with Steve to assemble a 347ci base filled with an Eagle stroked crank linked to Eagle I-beam rods capped with Keith Black 10.2:1 pistons, while a Comp Cams Magnum stick sets the thump.

Airflow Research aluminum heads are right at home breathing deep through an Edelbrock Endurashine-coated dual-quad intake topped with a pair of Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS 500-cfm carbs. Details abound with an Edelbrock Classic Series air cleaner and matching valve covers as well as a March Performance Style Track serpentine belt system and endless plating and polish.

To light the fire, an MSD ignition sparks the 495-horsepower V-8 to life, while spent gasses rumble through Ford Racing headers to 2½-inch polished stainless pipes coupled to a pair of Summit Racing polished stainless mufflers. To push the power rearward a Ford AOD trans with a Hughes Performance torque converter massaged by Tony Pontieri works the gears through a 2006 Ford Mustang shifter to a custom polished aluminum driveshaft by Inland Empire Driveline.

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Since the body was in such dire need of attention Steve contacted Stony Smith at Oddball Kustoms of Uxbridge, Ontario, to unleash his vast metallurgical skills on a number of subtle updates to give the F-100 its own unique personality. Starting at the top, 2 inches were sliced from the lid to pancake the roof, followed by adding a larger rear window from a ’56 F-100, shaving the driprails and door handles, and filling all the body vents. From there all body seams were filled, the rear hood corners were rounded, custom inner fenderwells and an inner hood were fashioned, and custom front and rear roll pans were fabricated. You’d think that Stony would have run out of energy by now, but he continued onto the bed by extending its bedsides and rear fenders, created custom flat running boards, hidden hinges, and a bevy of other updates too numerous to list.

When all the fabrication was complete, Joe Tassone at Deez Rodz & Ridez in Uxbridge, Ontario, got the nod to make everything razor sharp. When building a truck of this caliber one of the most important facets of the final design is the paint combination. For this, Michele worked tirelessly to create a signature color melding hues of gold and green till she came up with her own custom Glasurit blend called Michele’s Gold. The painting chores were handed over to Jesse Rogers at Deez who laid down the vibe with surgical perfection.

With everything in the reassembly stage, custom taillights by Oddball Kustoms added extra allure especially when accented by fine plating from the tanks at Mayfair Plating of Toronto, Ontario. To accent the bed, plenty of white ash gave it a distinctive look. For the final bit of dazzle, the interior was laid out by first shaving the stock dash and filling it with Dakota Digital gauges to monitor the vitals, while Vintage Air supplies a cool breeze through custom vents by Jeffrey Phipps.

The custom door panels and center console were the work of Oddball Kustoms, while the seats are modified 2010 Ford F-150 units. Everything was covered in tan and brown leather and floors completed in sand-toned Wilton wool thanks to the creative efforts of Steve, Tony Deluca, and the stitching talents of Terry Coons of Ajax, Ontario. A Billet Specialties steering wheel navigates the course, while heavy tunes flow through a Planet Audio head unit urged by JL Audio amps and speakers flawlessly installed by Mike O’Connor of Newmarket, Ontario.

The completed project rolled into Cobo Hall last year on the 300th day of its build, dazzling crowds who saw it. Known as Gertie, the truck pays homage to Steve’s late mother who was always inspirational to him throughout all of his projects. Steve wants to be sure to thank all the creative talent involved in building the ’55, especially his wife Michele, Stewart Bloom, and Joe Nazzicone. It’s all in the details that make this ’55 just plain bitchin’!